Away with words: an Arvon fiction-writing retreat in Devon
Expert tuition, camaraderie and walks in the rain – plus a healthy lack of wifi and mobile coverage – leave our writer buzzing with creativity and short story ideas
‘You’re going to freak out’: how to conquer your Foma (fear of missing alcohol)
If you’re tempted by Dry January, don’t let fear hold you back – ditching booze doesn’t have to make you a bore
Back to work blues? What we can learn from slackers
Our culture demonises those who don’t work – but maybe it’s time we were more like Homer Simpson and Jeffrey ‘The Dude’ Lebowski, writes Josh Cohen
The Truth About Fat by Anthony Warner review – what the Angry Chef hates
Fat-shaming and snooty diet advice are rightly targeted in this polemic. But Warner’s anger is oddly limited: why doesn’t he blame the food industry?
Top 10 books about insomnia
From history and fiction to philosophy and poetry, Marina Benjamin reveals the works that helped her understand an unsettlingly common problem
‘I watch old westerns while the spuds are in the oven’: creative people on how they relax
Musician Grace Chatto tunes in to the Shipping Forecast, actor Antonia Thomas is soothed by David Attenborough – and author Irvine Welsh writes
Insomnia by Marina Benjamin review – sleeplessness as resistance
Ranging from Penelope to Virginia Woolf, this study makes a case for restlessness and insomnia as acts of female rebellion
‘A rose with a thousand petals’ … what makes an aphorism – and is this a golden age?
Forget haikus, epigrams, proverbs, maxims, adages and riddles. If you’re needing a sliver of wisdom, try an aphorism. There are certainly plenty around …
Dream job: the writer paid to send millions to sleep
With sleep problems on the rise, Phoebe Smith was tasked with writing stories deliberately designed to help people nod off – with the help of Stephen Fry and Joanna Lumley
Can a sleepless night awaken creativity?
Famous insomniacs include William Wordsworth, Emily Brontë, Vladimir Nabokov and Marcel Proust so could there be a positive side to sleeplessness, asks Marina Benjamin